XML Feed for RxPG News   Add RxPG News Headlines to My Yahoo!   Javascript Syndication for RxPG News

Research Health World General
 
  Home
 
 Latest Research
 Cancer
 Psychiatry
  Depression
  Neuropsychiatry
  Personality Disorders
  Bulimia
  Anxiety
  Substance Abuse
  Suicide
  CFS
  Psychoses
  Child Psychiatry
  Learning-Disabilities
   Autism
  Psychology
  Forensic Psychiatry
  Mood Disorders
  Sleep Disorders
  Peri-Natal Psychiatry
  Psychotherapy
  Anorexia Nervosa
 Genetics
 Surgery
 Aging
 Ophthalmology
 Gynaecology
 Neurosciences
 Pharmacology
 Cardiology
 Obstetrics
 Infectious Diseases
 Respiratory Medicine
 Pathology
 Endocrinology
 Immunology
 Nephrology
 Gastroenterology
 Biotechnology
 Radiology
 Dermatology
 Microbiology
 Haematology
 Dental
 ENT
 Environment
 Embryology
 Orthopedics
 Metabolism
 Anaethesia
 Paediatrics
 Public Health
 Urology
 Musculoskeletal
 Clinical Trials
 Physiology
 Biochemistry
 Cytology
 Traumatology
 Rheumatology
 
 Medical News
 Health
 Opinion
 Healthcare
 Professionals
 Launch
 Awards & Prizes
 
 Careers
 Medical
 Nursing
 Dental
 
 Special Topics
 Euthanasia
 Ethics
 Evolution
 Odd Medical News
 Feature
 
 World News
 Tsunami
 Epidemics
 Climate
 Business
 
 India
Search

Last Updated: Nov 18, 2006 - 12:32:53 PM
Research Article

Autism Channel
subscribe to Autism newsletter

Latest Research : Psychiatry : Learning-Disabilities : Autism

   DISCUSS   |   EMAIL   |   PRINT
Brain Enlargement May Be Characteristic Of Autism
Dec 8, 2005 - 3:20:00 PM, Reviewed by: Dr. Himanshu Tyagi

�The findings from this study confirm the presence of generalized cerebral cortical GM and WM brain volume enlargement at age two in individuals with autism. Given the strong relationship between HC and brain volume, the onset of this enlargement appears likely to be during the postnatal period and may begin as late as the latter part of the first year of life.�

 
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has found evidence of brain enlargement in a relatively large sample of children with autism, compared with children who do not have the disorder, according to a study in the December issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder defined by social deficits, abnormalities in communication, and stereotyped, repetitive behaviors. While the neuroanatomical basis of this condition is not yet known, numerous lines of evidence suggest that abnormalities in brain volume may be characteristic of autism, according to background information in the article.

Heather Cody Hazlett, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and colleagues examined brain volume and head circumference (HC) in children with and without autism. They analyzed data from an ongoing MRI study on 51 children with autism � aged 18 to 35 months � and a comparison group made up of 25 children without autism (14 with typical development, and 11 with developmental delay without evidence of a pervasive developmental disorder). Retrospective longitudinal HC measurements were also gathered from medical records on a larger sample of 113 children with autism and 189 control children, from birth to age three years.

�Significant enlargement was detected in cerebral cortical volumes but not cerebellar volumes in individuals with autism,� the authors report. �Enlargement was present in both white and gray matter, and it was generalized throughout the cerebral cortex.�

The cerebral cortex of the brain is responsible for the processes of thought, perception, and memory, among other functions. The cerebellum is a structure that controls complex motor functions. Gray matter (GM) represents information processing centers in the brain, while white matter (WM) represents connections between those processing centers.

�[In children with autism] head circumference appears normal at birth, with a significantly increased rate of HC growth appearing to begin around 12 months of age,� the authors write.

�The findings from this study confirm the presence of generalized cerebral cortical GM and WM brain volume enlargement at age two in individuals with autism,� they conclude. �Given the strong relationship between HC and brain volume, the onset of this enlargement appears likely to be during the postnatal period and may begin as late as the latter part of the first year of life.�
 

- December issue of Archives of General Psychiatry
 

Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005;62:1366-1376

 
Subscribe to Autism Newsletter
E-mail Address:

 

This work was supported by grants to co-authors Guido Gerig, Ph.D., and Joseph Piven, M.D., from the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.

Related Autism News

Autism linked to paternal age
Autism affects functioning of entire brain
Autism - the neuroanatomical basis
Trophoblast inclusions in placenta may be the earliest marker for autism
Pediatricians fail to screen for autism
Why some people lack social skills
The role of evolutionary genomics in the development of autism
State-of-the-art eye tracking system to help understand autistic children
Innovative approach affords clearer view of autism
Autism Phenome Project aims to redefine autism by identifying distinct subtypes


For any corrections of factual information, to contact the editors or to send any medical news or health news press releases, use feedback form

Top of Page

 

© Copyright 2004 onwards by RxPG Medical Solutions Private Limited
Contact Us